Due to personal reasons I didn’t get to bed until 4:30am last night. And even then I didn’t sleep. I was going to bail on the tournament but decided to give it a go anyway, despite having no sleep.
No warmup, no putting green… I smack my drive on the par-5 1st hole down the middle. Hit a five iron over the green to the back fringe. I drain my super fast eagle putt from the fringe. Wake me up.
I par 2 & three, then birdie #4. I got lucky because the pin was way right and that was NO pin to go for. Somehow my six iron stayed on the underside there, where most people’s roll off the green.
I get to the 7th and my gag reflex is kicking in. I’m starting to get butterflies and shakes from being so nervous and from no sleep. I yank my drive left and hit a tree on my approach to this short par four. I’m 30 yards from the green in super deep rough. I hit what may be the best chip I’ve ever hit. It went in like a putt.
Holy smokes I’m -4 after seven holes in the biggest tournament of the year. Try to breathe. Breathe.
I pull another drive and end up with bogey on #8. On #9 I had the worst gag of the day, pushing my tee shot into the hazard. I don’t get up and down and end up getting a freaking triple on a par three. The good news though, is I’m even par after a bogey and a triple!
On the back nine I played very steady, despite wanting to either collapse or throw up. I bogeyed one hole and made par on eight. I had some birdie opportunities which were close.
73
So in the toughest, biggest tournament of the year I shoot 73 on day one. Considering I haven’t golfed in close to 1.5 weeks, and that I got no sleep, I’m pretty happy about that.
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